No 3D Blu-ray capability for the new next generation consoles at launch.

Posted: 11/14/13 |
Category: | Platform: Xbox one, Playstation 4

Blu-ray aficionados that are expecting to put on their 3-D glasses and watch a blockbuster hit jump through the screen on their new PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will have to wait. Both Sony and Microsoft had announced early in the console race that Blu-ray capability will be in their consoles, along with the ability to watch the 3-D discs as well.

Recently, Director of Xbox Programming Larry Hryb (also known as Major Nelson) mentioned that the Xbox One would be shipping without 3-D Blu-ray playback, but said that an update later on could implement the ability. At this point it seemed that the PlayStation 4 would the leader here in the 3-D Blu-ray fighting ring.

However, Sony is joining the “no 3-D Blu-ray capability at launch” party as well. In a manual for the PlayStation 4 that was recently made available online, it states that in the supported disc formats that playback of Blu-ray 3D discs is not supported. The odd piece of it all is that Sony has stated that the PlayStation 4 will support 3-D games at launch, but currently there are no 3-D compatible games so far for the system.

For the Xbox One, this will be Microsoft’s first system to use Blu-ray after bowing out of the HD-DVD/Blu-ray fight years ago. For Sony, winning the HD-DVD/Blu-ray fight allowed them to get their systems in a lot of homes for customers looking to purchase the newest high-definition video player with a game console as an added benefit.

The real kicker here though is that the PlayStation 3 plays 3-D Blu-rays with no issue. For owners of a PlayStation 3 that are getting the next iteration, they’ll be able to keep their older console on hand, but for new console buyers that want to minimize their footprint with an all-in-one media system, this sort of news can sour their purchases.

All is not lost. As mentioned above, it is not out of the picture that 3-D Blu-ray support is gone forever; customers will just have to wait for an update.

The PlayStation 4 launches in the US on November 15, 2013, with releases around the world in the following weeks. The Xbox One will be releasing one week later on November 22 in the US, Europe, and some countries, with Japan and various other countries getting theirs in 2014.